Oderous House Ants

This species is right up there as public enemy number one, and is common all over the United States. These ants nest outdoors under items on the ground, within landscape mulch, beneath loose bark on trees, under ground cover, in potted plants, and within piles of items, such as lumber, firewood, or bricks. Nests may readily be established inside homes, in walls, beneath carpeting, and other suitable voids or spaces.

Odorous house ants may develop huge colonies containing thousands of workers and numerous queens. One key to controlling this ant is by locating their colonies and subcolonies on the exterior, and treating them directly with an insecticide. Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies as they move in from neighboring properties.

The keys to controlling ants are to find the colonies and/or subcolonies and treat them directly with an appropriately labeled insecticide. Most product labels for concentrates allow you to apply your finished dilution where listed pests enter the structure, where they trail or crawl and hide, or where their nests are found. If nests are found, treatments can be made directly to these nests.

Control

If you are experiencing an ant problem on the interior, you should consider starting with the creation of a treatment zone around, and on the exterior of the structure with a non-repellent insecticide such as Termidor, Phantom, or Alpine WSG. Non-repellents will allow ants passing through the treated area to pick up the active ingredient on their bodies and transfer it to other colony members through their normal social interactions. This transfer will enable you to control ants that may not come in direct contact with your treated zone. They only need to contact other ants that have been exposed to the insecticide.

Termidor SC can be sprayed along the foundation exterior perimeter (1 foot up and 1 foot out from where the ground meets the foundation) as well as a surface spray (up to 18 inches in width) around doors, windows, vents, eaves, pipes or any other exterior openings.

Once you have your exterior treatment zone established, seek out and destroy ant colonies that are off the structure. In the yard, products such as Alpine WSG, can be directly applied to foraging trails, ant nests or mounds where ants are present. It can be applied to lawns, yards, landscaping, structures and impervious surfaces. Ant baits such as Advance Carpenter Ant Bait, Advance 375, Maxforce Complete, can be applied to areas where ants are foraging. Maybe even try installing Antopia Ant Bait Stations on the exterior where ants are commonly seen foraging.

On the interior, Alpine WSG insecticide can be used for spot, or crack and crevice applications where ants may be foraging such as doors, windows, under sinks, around pipes and other areas. Termidor Foam can also be used in voids where ants are foraging.

Other formulations may provide you with success on both the interior and exterior. Granular insecticides such as Talstar PL provide a great contact kill and have excellent residual properties for the exterior. They fall down into and under landscape material such as turf, rock or mulch to target problem ants. Also consider dusts, baits, aerosols, or other spray concentrates for your particular needs.

Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies as they move in from neighboring properties. These perimeter treatments can keep your home or business pest free. We suggest a regular treatment on the exterior and yard with Alpine WSG.

Dusts for Ants

Dusts are usually used to treat into cracks and crevices (such as in the crack between the wall baseboard and floor), in wall voids, cavities, attics or crawl spaces. Be sure that there is proper ventilation in the room and that you don’t over dust or dust in areas accessible by people.

Insecticide Granules for Ants

These “ready to use” granular crystals are convenient and great for a contact kill and have a great residual properties for the exterior. They fall down into and under landscape material such as turf, rock or mulch to target problem ants.

Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies as they move in from neighboring properties. These perimeter treatments can keep your home or business pest free. We suggest a regular treatment on the exterior and yard with Alpine WSG.

These tips will help prevent a Odorous House Ant infestation:

Seal cracks and holes in the exterior of the home to prevent ants and other pests from entering.

Keep vegetation cut away from the foundation of the home.

Avoid using items such as stones and landscape timbers next to the home’s foundation. Pavement ants nesting under these items are likely to infest the home.

Keep layers of mulch in landscape beds less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away from the foundation.